UC Medical Centers Will Expand Palliative Care With $1M Grant

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UCSF News reports on a systemwide initiative by the University of California to expand specialized care for seriously ill patients, notably those in the ICU:

The University of California is leveraging its expertise to enhance patient care at UC medical centers systemwide, awarding a $1 million grant to expand specialized care for seriously ill patients.

The two-year project, led by Wendy Anderson, MD, MS, of UC San Francisco, seeks to improve the quality of care for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) and their families. The project will expand a training program for bedside nurses to increase the integration of palliative care into ICUs across UC Health.

Palliative care is specialized medical care for seriously ill patients and their families that focuses on quality of life: managing pain, symptoms and stress of serious illness, and helping to ensure that patients get the type of care they want. Palliative care improves care for patients and their families, and also decreases costs. While the field has been growing rapidly – two-thirds of U.S. hospitals with more than 50 beds now have a palliative care team – access is still limited. Even in hospitals that have palliative care, many seriously ill patients do not receive it.

The grant is being awarded by a new joint venture between the UC Center for Health Quality and Innovation and UC’s systemwide Office of Risk Services. The joint venture, called the Center for Health Quality and Innovation Quality Enterprise Risk Management, is part of an effort to improve patient care and satisfaction throughout UC Health........